1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a paint roller sleeve storage container, in general and, in particular, to a paint roller sleeve storage container enabling the user to stack the containers for storage in multi-sleeve jobs and for display during sale. The storage container also is designed to easily remove the sleeve from a roller frame.
2. Description of the Related Art
Painting the walls and ceilings of a house or other structure presents many problems. One of those problems is how to conveniently and temporarily store your paint roller sleeves overnight or during breaks or during changes of sleeves for color changes without going to the time consuming job of thoroughly cleaning the sleeves or the costly solution of just throwing the sleeves away when the paint on the sleeve dries. Another problem, especially for wholesalers and retailers of painting equipment and for painters that have a large inventory of roller sleeves, is how to conveniently store and display paint roller sleeves. The sleeves are round and generally resist stacking in an orderly manner. In the past, several efforts have been made to solve these problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,542 to G. Florentino on Sep. 17, 1985 for a Paint Tray Cover shows a paint roller tray with a resealable cover to store a roller frame, handle and sleeve for short intervals between painting sessions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,830 to L. B. O'Brien on Oct. 20, 1987 for a Paint Roller and Hose Caddy describes a container for placement and temporary storage of a powered paint roller and hose assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,358 to C. W. Kehl on Apr. 19, 1988 for a Paint Roller Storage Container and Extractor describes a paint roller sleeve storage container having radially inward pointing projections for engaging a sleeve to allow the user to squeeze the container and pull the roller frame from the sleeve.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,576 to I. Kern on Feb. 7, 1989 for a Storage Container for a Paint Roller shows a container for storing a paint roller including frame and handle. The container is sealed by using a foil seal. Additional foil is supplied on a roll integral with the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,274 to N. E. Long on Jan. 12, 1992 for a Holder Container for a Paint Roller shows a paint roller holder that retains a paint roller frame and a sleeve during short interruptions.
The disclosures discussed above have not addressed all the problems solved by the present invention. The present invention provides a sealable container that could be manufactured with either a threaded cap or a snap-on cap. The present invention also allows the user to pull the roller sleeve off of the roller frame without having to grasp a roller sleeve wet with paint. This invention allows the user to wipe the excess paint off of the roller sleeve as the sleeve is removed from the container thereby reducing the chance of paint spillage. The present invention further solves the problem, encountered by painters and merchants, of storing a number of sleeves efficiently by providing a container that not only preserves the integrity of the paint on the sleeve and the sleeve itself but provides a container that will stack conveniently without rolling all over the area.